A severe shortage of food and foreign currency amid harsh international sanctions are contributing to rising numbers of North Korean “ghost ship” fishing vessels washing up in Japanese waters, analysts said.

Dozens of North Korean fishing vessels wash up on Japan’s coast ever year, but last month Japanese coastguards registered 28 cases, the highest monthly number since records began in 2014.

Meanwhile, there have been multiple cases of “ghost ships” found packed full of bodies, with 18 corpses recovered so far this year. During the same period, there has been a record number of North Korean fishermen rescued alive – 42 this year compared to zero in 2016.

Japanese authorities say it is often hard to determine exactly how they died as the boats often drift for months before washing up in Japan.

“Fishermen are desperate to meet annual catch goals, which are elevated to higher levels every year,” said Toshimitsu Shigemura, professor emeritus of Waseda University and North Korea expert.

Source: Japan coastguard rescuing more North Korean ‘ghost ships’ as sanctions, food shortages drive fishermen into farther waters | South China Morning Post

This is a very convincing scam and there’s no reason it couldn’t happen here in Raleigh. Keep up with your phone and do NOT call it and give your unlock code to whomever answers it!

Denver bar patrons are being warned of a popular new scam aimed at collecting financial information from stolen or lost smartphones.

Since May, there have been 37 cases of scammers posing as helpful bar owners who get access to stolen smartphones and then drain financial accounts from the phone’s apps, say Denver Police.

The scam begins when crooks steal smartphones from unsuspecting bar customers. They then wait for the phone’s owner to call the phone the next morning in hopes of getting it back. The crook, who often identifies himself as a helpful bar employee, asks the phone’s owner for their pass code to verify ownership.

The phone’s owner, thinking the crook is only trying to make sure the phone is returned to the rightful owner, gives the crooks the pass code. The scammer now changes all the owner’s passwords and then moves money via the apps the owner uses to reimburse his friends.

“Now, not only is her phone truly gone, but so is her money,” say police.

Source: Denver cops warn of phone scam brewing at local bars – The Denver Post

I’ve often talked about tracking down these debt collectors but this guy got to the kingpin. Gives me hope!

On the morning a debt collector threatened to rape his wife, Andrew Therrien was working from home, in a house with green shutters on a cul-de-sac in a small Rhode Island town. Tall and stocky, with a buzz cut and a square, friendly face, Therrien was a salesman for a promotions company. He’d always had an easy rapport with people over the phone, and on that day, in February 2015, he was calling food vendors to talk about grocery store giveaways.

Therrien was interrupted midpitch by a call from his wife. She’d gotten a voicemail from an authoritative-sounding man saying Therrien was in some kind of trouble. “I need to verify an address to present you with your formal claim,” the man had said. “Andrew Therrien, you are officially notified.”

A few minutes later, Therrien’s phone buzzed. It was the same guy. He gave his name as Charles Cartwright and said Therrien owed $700 on a payday loan. But Therrien knew he didn’t owe anyone anything. Suspecting a scam, he told Cartwright just what he thought of his scare tactics.Cartwright hung up, then called back, mad. He said he wanted to meet face-to-face to teach Therrien a lesson.

“Come on by, asshole,” Therrien says he replied.

“I will,” Cartwright said, “and I hope your wife is at home.”

That’s when he made the rape threat.

Therrien got so angry he couldn’t think clearly. He wasn’t going to just let someone menace and disrespect his wife like that. He had to know who this Cartwright guy was, and his employer, too. Therrien wanted to make them pay.

Source: Millions Are Hounded for Debt They Don’t Owe. One Victim Fought Back, With a Vengeance – Bloomberg